Canada

(3,954 words)

According to the 2011 census, Hindus make up the largest South Asian diaspora community, with a population of almost 700,000. The earliest Hindus came to Canada during the 1950s and were Punjabis. The next-largest group were Hindus from Uttar Pradesh, middle-class Hindi speakers, who came with a large group of South Asian professionals during the 1960s. Tamil and Bengali Hindus began to arrive during the same period, many of whom were teachers. Also during the 1960s and 1970s, many Hindus arrived from former British colonies – East Africa, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Guyana, and Trinidad. While Hi…